FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 19, 2015 MEDIA RELEASE Ontario Takes Last Place in Jobs, Social Programs and Income Equality: New Report Says Fully Half of Ontarians are Caught in a Backslide (Toronto, Ontario) – An Ontario-wide coalition of more than 90 labour and community groups concerned with growing inequality released an alarming report today that delivers a grim warning about the erosion of income transfer programs, social programs and a labour force that is leaving millions behind. “Ontario is dead last in funding for social…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 18, 2015 MEDIA ADVISORY Startling New Report to Show that Ontario is the toughest Province to Live and Work: Coalition of 90 Community Groups to Release Damning Report on Ontario’s Rising Inequality (Toronto, Ontario) – A cross-Ontario coalition concerned with growing income inequality is releasing a damning new report that shows that for all but the highest income earners, Ontario has become the most difficult province to earn a living and raise a family. The report will demonstrate that by nearly…

Harper’s Record on Income, Inequality and Canada’s Social Safety Net With October 19th Election only days away, the Ontario Common Front and the Ontario Federation of Labour has put together a fact sheet, entitled “Ruthless: The Harper Record on Income, Inequality and Canada’s Social Safety Net.” This informative document reminds voters about the Harper cuts to Old Age Security, Health Care, Arts and Culture, Women’s Advocacy, Pay Equity, Humanitarian Groups and First Nations/Aboriginal Programs. The fact sheet also comments on Harper’s track record when it…

The OFL and the Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups will host a Compensation Conference on June 1 and 2, 2015. For information, please contact: Laurie Hardwick at 416-347-9732 or LHardwick@ofl.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 15, 2015 ADVISORY: Ontario’s Largest Anti-Poverty Conference to Draw Speakers from U.S. “Fight for $15” and Québec Student Movement (TORONTO, ON) ─ Organizers of the Ontario Common Front Anti-Poverty Assembly are anticipating over 500 people to participate in the two-day conference this weekend in Toronto. Topping the roster of impressive speakers are Chicago “Fight for $15” minimum wage activist Jessica Davis, former Québec student leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and award-winning author Linda McQuaig. Organized by the Ontario Common Front and the…

Ontario remains a wealthy province inflicted with the disease of poverty. The only way to reverse the trend towards greater inequality is through broad and diverse organizing to demand meaningful change at every level. The Ontario Common Front and the Ontario Federation of Labour are calling on you to join students, workers, retirees and community and anti-poverty activists at an Anti-Poverty Assembly on April 17 and 18 at the University of Toronto. Together, we will draft, develop and launch a “Solidarity Against Inequality” campaign, designed…

Like universal health care in 1960, the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) is a plan without proof, so it can be criticized as impractical, too expensive, likely to fail, likely to offer poor returns, be open to political interference and so on. You have to have faith that it can work and be as efficient as the Canada Pension Plan, a model other countries turn to. Click HERE to read more:

When it comes to seeking new revenues, some politicians like to claim that economic growth will somehow increase and greater tax revenues will naturally follow. More growth would certainly be nice, but it isn’t something a government can just will into being. The Ontario government needs to find more revenues in the actual economy, not some fantasy one. Ms. Wynne will therefore be thinking about raising tax rates. And she will immediately encounter a tension between which taxes are least economically damaging and which are…

The Canada Revenue Agency has told a well-known charity that it can no longer try to prevent poverty around the world, it can only alleviate poverty – because preventing poverty might benefit people who are not already poor. The bizarre bureaucratic brawl over a mission statement is yet more evidence of deteriorating relations between the Harper government and some parts of Canada’s charitable sector. Click HERE for the entire report.

We were pleased that Premier Wynne’s Speech From The Throne announced plans for a new poverty reduction strategy for Ontario. Health Providers Against Poverty is an Ontario-based collective of doctors, nurses, and other frontline healthcare professionals. As health care providers, we see daily the devastating impacts of low income on our patients’ health. Individuals at the lower end of the income spectrum are at greater risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and mental health illness. In the health system, individuals living…

These are tough times in Ontario. Once an economic giant, Ontario now has one of the largest debt-loads of any sub-national government in the world. And on a day-to-day basis for many, Ontario is a province in crisis. Forty per cent of those who suffer food insecurity in Canada live in Ontario. A job in the province no longer protects against poverty – a full 10% of those using food banks are gainfully employed. Immigrants, newcomers and other vulnerable groups are over-represented in precarious employment, often working…

The Ontario Federation of Labour welcomes the measures in today’s budget that will make the province a better place for workers, but warns that it will continue to vigorously oppose all forms of privatization and cuts that unfairly place the burden for reducing the deficit on the backs of workers. Read more by clicking HERE.

The Ontario County Office for the Aging will be distributing senior farmers market coupon booklets beginning Tuesday, July 15. Coupon booklets are available to eligible seniors on a first-come, first-served basis as long as supplies last. Eligible Ontario County seniors need to be at least 60 years of age and affirm they are low-income based on one or more of the following criteria: a gross monthly income at or below: one-person household — $1,800 per month; two-person household — $2,426 per month; or three-person household…

Kathleen Wynne campaigned and won on an anti-austerity platform. Will she deliver? Already, Ontario’s Liberal premier is being advised to backtrack on her promise to spend more for infrastructure and necessary services. To read more, click HERE.

Is Ontario’s middle class among the richest in the world, as the New York Times would have us believe, or is it struggling to stay afloat, as per the rhetoric of many a provincial politician? Steve Paikin, host of TVO’s current affairs show The Agenda, brings the CCPA’s Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan, Andrew Coyne from the National Post and Mike Moffatt from they Ivey School of Business to the table to crunch the numbers and debate which of these declarations is closer to the truth. Click HERE for…

This report analyzes Ontario’s fair wage policy, which has not been modernized since it was introduced in 1995. It draws from a broad range of examples to show how a modernized fair wage policy can be a critical link to bring construction tendering policy in line with government policy objectives pertaining to skills training and apprenticeships, improved health and safety outcomes, and tackling the underground economy in construction. It could strengthen Ontario’s apprenticeship system, it could improve health and safety outcomes, it could help tackle…

Legal Aid Ontario’s new benefits are aimed at many couples who can’t afford a lawyer and try to represent themselves in family law court. Legal Aid Ontario is embarking on a significant expansion of legal services in family law that could chip away at the swelling masses of self-represented litigants and steer couples away from lengthy court battles. A pair of programs, which will be announced later in july, will offer financially eligible couples free access to a family lawyer to negotiate separation agreements and…

Released July 4th, 2014 This press release displays the reactions of the Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care (CDRC), the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL), and Justice for Children and Youth (JFCY) on the Federal Court’s ruling that refugee health care cuts are “cruel and unusual” – and unconstitutional: “This decision is a victory for human rights, for human dignity, and for compassion.” READ MORE!

Whether we’ve managed to buy our dream home or are simply dreaming of having a home, few things matter to us more than where we live. Our homes can be a large part of our identity. But they’re much more than that. Research demonstrates that decent housing is fundamental to our health. If home is one of the most important things to both our health and well-being, you would imagine it would be at the top of every political platform. But in Toronto, where we…

Former WSIB chair, Odoardo Di Santo, says Ontario’s workers’ compensation system is under attack from within – changes “are undermining decades of progress” and “all Ontarians ought to oppose” them: To access the full article on the Toronto Star website, click the link HERE.

In the lead up to the 2013 Ontario provincial budget, the OFL coordinated a province- wide consultation that culminated in the release of a People’s Budget. It included a set of recommendations about how to make Ontario a more fair and equitable province. One key recommendation was to: “Raise the minimum wage to $14 per hour, which is 10 percent above the poverty line based on a 35-hour week, and de-politicize the minimum wage by implementing a formula that would determine regular future increases.” Fairness…

Thirteen million of the most highly educated people in the world call Ontario home. Endowed with rich natural resources, vast tracts of farmland, quadrillions of litres of freshwater, the rugged beauty of the Canadian Shield, and an industrial hub that stretches across its southern reaches; it is almost inconceivable that this province houses a generation of residents who are experiencing the largest increase in inequality in this province’s history. Yet the evidence is indisputable. Ontario is falling behind the rest of Canada in terms of…

Come out and support some of Canada’s most skilled apprentices as they face off ,in their respective trades, to be the best in the nation! This competition will be held in Toronto this August 22-23 at Roundhouse Park ‎. As the location is a real tourism hub for Toronto it will be a great location to raise the profile of the competition and the trades. A number of our trade disciplines with be highlighted : Carpentry, Drywall, Flooring and Millwrighting.‎ As well, we will be…

Gordon Wilson, Past President, Ontario Federation of Labour responds to Odoardo Di Santo’s, worker’s compensation under attack,opinion piece posted on June 28th. “Odoardo Di Santo is right on but his comments are not the whole story.” “Currently there are over 8,000 workers within Ontario who have claims that have been denied, many without a hearing at the WSIB of their initial claim, and are awaiting for their appeals to be heard in response to the board’s denials. The Appeals Tribunal is now processing approximately 80 to…

Government’s and the courts should hold companies accountable for pensions/obligations which were agreed at the Bargaining table. These are what you call deferred wages. It is criminal what they are doing to people who have put in 30, 40, or even 50 years of hard work into their respective companies. Click HERE to read more about what these companies are doing to their employees. YOU be the judge.

Here is a look at the Latest OFL’s President Report. Within this report is and address from the OFL president himself, Sid Ryan, a review of the past election and much more information about today’s labour movement. Click HERE to access the report.

In Ontario, the recent recession and the austerity measures that followed have had a disproportionate impact on young people. Their struggles foretell a broader low-wage future for all Ontarians if our government does not change course. The scope and depth of the challenges facing young workers demand a new, progressive approach to public policy and managing the economy. Young people across the province are calling on the provincial government to put job creation and the well-being of people and communities ahead of deficit reduction and…

The role of unions as a progressive force in Canadian society and a voice for all workers is being challenged across the country. Historically, legislation has both supported and limited unions’ ability to negotiate and advocate for improved living and working conditions for workers. In recent years, changes have been made and proposed at the federal and provincial levels that erode some of the security that has previously been afforded to unions. A cornerstone of Canadian labour legislation – the Rand Formula – is one…

Social media can fuel spontaneous, organic and grass-roots activism. As Technology continues to grow, this type of media becomes more and more effective. Activists can use social media to start petitions, spread the word, mobilize support, educate the public and put pressure on decision-makers at every level. Click HERE to learn more about how the labour movement plans, and is currently, using social media to get the message out!

Cuts to Canada’s Employment Insurance Program are making it harder to help some of the most vulnerable people in today’s society. Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) produced this video about the cuts in Employment-Insurance. There’s also a press release attached to it. Access the video below: watch?v=hK3L5F4cAgk To access the Press Release click HERE: In order to access more information, click HERE to be redirected to their website I invite you to share this video as widely as possible !

A Call to Young Workers, There has never been a more important time for young workers to become actively engaged in the struggles of the labour movement – and for trade unionists to take inspiration from the activism of students and youth. Last year’s Occupy movement and this year’s student strike in Québec were important moments where labour unions fell in behind youth-led campaigns against inequality. However, it is also vital for young workers to take an active role in their unions or to organize…

A recovery strategy that aims to put Ontario back where it was in 2007 means no progress for women. Women had lower levels of employment and higher levels of poverty before, during and after the recession. Young women were among the biggest losers during the recession – experiencing nearly double the rate of decline in their employment as young men. At the other end of the spectrum, the numbers of women who stayed in the workforce after age 65 doubled betwen 2007-2013. Single mothers with…

The Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) has increased by $100 annually per child. This is a very important program Ontario families mitigate finical struggle when taking care of their children. To find out more about what this means for the families of Ontario, click on the link HERE.

Meet Danielle Martin, the health care leader heard across North America. Doctor Martin is the leading advocates for publicly funded healthcare in North America. Martin beleives that “as physicians we see the negative impact of poverty on the health of our patients every day. We should be at the front of the parade to try to reduce poverty in Canada.” In order to find out more about Danielle, click HERE to read more about who and what Danielle envisions for the future of North American Healthcare!

The new policy – which comes at a time when statistics suggest one in five Canadians experience a mental health illness in any given year – offers those dealing with mental illness, as well as their employers, landlords and other service providers “user-friendly” advice on how to best identify and combat rights violations. This policy is saying that people with mental health issues are protected under the human rights code. They have rights. Employers, service providers, landlords all have responsibilities and we need to understand…

Hello everyone, In the province of Ontario, there are 6 million workers, half of which dont have any type of pension plan. These three million Ontarians are looking at retirement years where their only income will be the Canada Pension Plan which pays a maximum of $1,038 monthly. This is not enough for people to live. The article found within the link below can give you more information on why Ontarians are in need of a provincial pension Ontario Pension Plan Enjoy!

Ontario Government Committed to Affordable Housing Ontario is capping rent increases for 2015 at 1.6 per cent. The cap, also known as the rent increase guideline, is the maximum a landlord can raise a tenant’s rent without the approval of the Landlord and Tenant Board. It applies to rent increases between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2015. The guideline is based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation calculated monthly by Statistics Canada. It is calculated under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006,…

The Peoples’ Social Forum will open on August 21 with a traditional Algonquin ceremony at sunrise and a celebratory peoples’ march in the afternoon. August 21 and 22 will see hundreds of participant-led workshops happen simultaneously at the University of Ottawa. Saturday, August 23 will be a day of movement assemblies. The last day there will be a final all-movements assembly and closing ceremony. The Peoples’ Social Forum is also a joyous gathering with special exhibitions, work and peoples history tours, film screenings, critical mass…

National People’s Social Forum is coming this summer! Join us for the kickoff gathering at CUPE 4400 Date: Saturday March 22, 2014 Time: 6:00 to midnight Address: 1482 Bathurst Street, 4th Floor (St. Clair Subway station – Bathurst and St. Clair) A grassroots Peoples’ Social Forum will be held in Ottawa-Gatineau from August 21-24 2014 (http://peoplessocialforum.wordpress.com/). Join us in inaugurating this exciting event, connect with people who have been involved in organizing,…

Action:

Celebrate With ACORN! Annual Reception Feb. 28 2014 Fighting For A $14 Minimum Wage, Linked to Inflation! This year, we celebrate our 6th Annual Reception which is an important fundrasier for ACORN members. This year’s theme is Raise the Minimum Wage! The money you contribute each year, or for the first time, ensures low income members are directing the organization. You help keep us community organizing, doing door to door work in low income communities, and building a base of families who would not otherwise…

Ottawa, ON – Law students are organizing the third annual “Law Folks Telling Jokes” comedy fundraising show. The funds raised will support Ottawa ACORN, a non-profit organization of low to moderate income families uniting communities for justice; and the University of Ottawa Social Justice Caucus (SJC), an initiative by law students and faculty aimed at enhancing social justice programs in the legal profession and the broader community. The show will happen Friday, February 7, 2014 at 8:30 PM at Pier 21 (111 Parent Avenue). Tickets…

Feathers of Hope: First Nations Youth Action Plan to be released on Monday, February 24, 2014! As you may recall, in March 2013, we held a forum in Thunder Bay, Ontario for First Nations youth called Feathers of Hope. Over the five days of the forum, more than 100 youth from First Nations communities across northern Ontario gathered to share their lived experiences, talk about issues of importance, and share the outcomes of their discussions with leadership from First Nations, provincial, federal and municipal government…

March to Save Canada Post Sunday, January 26th 1:00 pm Ottawa Meet at Dundonald Park (Kent and Somerset) March to the Prime Minister’s Office (Elgin and Wellington) The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is greeting the return of parliament with a rally and march to demand the reversal of planned cuts to the postal service. The Conservative plan to end home mail delivery and dramatically increase postal rates will be a disaster for Canada Post. Cutting service to citizens and increasing prices is not what…

Come learn how Chicago teachers stood up to defend public schools, and take part in a discussion on how we can learn from their strategies to defend public services here in Canada. This event is free. All are welcome! Click here to find our Facebook event page. Click on the image below to download our event flyer.

Come and join us as we: • CELEBRATE OUR DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPORTERS • SUPPORT OUR SOCIAL JUSTICE LEADERSHIP SCHOOL • REWARD OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS AND LEADERS $10 Suggested Donation at Door or In Advance; Funds Go to Support Our Raise the Minimum Wage Campaign to $14 Now/Link to Inflation Thursday, October 17th from 6:00pm – 9:00pm 154 Somerset St. W., Ottawa ON Contact Ottawa ACORN for more information

Action:

Hear from and question provincial political parties and Ottawa provincial candidates regarding the minimum wage. There’s going to be a provincial election in early 2014, so get informed about what the politicians have to say about low wages in Ontario. Tuesday December 3 at 233 Gilmour St. (PSAC building) 6PM-830PM Transportation assistance is available for events; RSVP is required in advance. *** Venez Écouter et questionner les partis politiques sur le salaire minimum. Il y aura une élection provinciale au début de 2014. Venez entendre…

Action:

Low income consumers are HORRIFIED by cell and Internet companies! What are you doing this Halloween? Come join us for our national day of action to target Bell, Rogers, and Telus for affordable services. ACORN Canada members want $10 a month internet and affordable cell service in Canada. We will be releasing our “horror” report with SCARY actions in Metro BC, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. Qu’est-ce que vous faites cet Halloween? Venez nous joindre pour notre jour national d’action qui cible Bell, Rogers et…

August 19th, 2013 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at Yorkdale Holiday Inn, 3450 Dufferin Street, Toronto –Student, Social movements and labour activists from across Ontario will come together to build alternatives to a right-wing agenda of austerity, poverty and repression. We believe a future is possible that respects democracy, environment, land and human rights. But we need deep organizing. Speakers include: Dr. Henry Giroux, Global Television Network Chair in Communications studies at McMaster University. In 2004, Dr. Giroux wrote the book, The Terror of Neoliberalism….

Budget 2013 has begun to make positive changes to a social assistance system that has continued to impoverish and cause hardship for low-income Ontarians. The majority of these changes apply to the Ontario Works (OW) program. After the Commission’s social assistance review report, starting the process of reform with positive changes to OW is the right way to proceed. The government has clearly heard the concerns of individuals and groups across Ontario about the negative impact of the report’s recommendations on people receiving ODSP. As…

A group of Young Conservatives have popped up on the Durham College and UOIT campus recently. We don’t know much about them because their Facebook group is private and requires students to request approval for access. The group’s description simply states, “Supporting the students, supporting the country”. However, the current membership list boasts a who’s-who of Conservative Party insiders, MPs, MPPs and Young Conservative organizers from across Ontario. It seems the Conservative Party of Canada and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario have made our…

You are invited to participate in a full-day Trade Justice Network meeting to discuss and strategize the Canada-EU CETA negotiations, and to hear from international experts about Canada’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement talks with India. Those who cannot make the meeting in person will be able to phone-in. When: April 15, 2013, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: CEP Boardroom (301 Laurier Avenue at Bank Street), Ottawa (MAP http://tinyurl.com/bvbl8d8) The meeting will be split into two parts:…

The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) invites you to join us for: Austerity & Ontario’s Universities: Finding A Way Forward –A Town Hall Meeting for Ottawa area university faculty, students and staff. Date/Time: Tues. January 29th: 7-9pm Location: University of Ottawa, Fauteux Hall (FTX), Room 227, 57 Louis-Pasteur St. With: David Macdonald – Senior Economist, The Canadian Centre For Policy Alternatives Prof. Tyler Chamberlin – Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa, Telfer School of Management Prof. Joel Westheimer – Professor, University of Ottawa, Faculty…

ACORN Canada 2013 Convention June 22-24 Toronto, Ontario (University of Toronto) Real People for Real Change The subsidized costs of the trip to the 2013 ACORN Convention in Toronto is $350 which includes: Room and Board Food (Breakfast, lunch and dinner) 2 Coach buses transport around the city $50 guarantees you a spot Phone: 613-746-5999 onacornot@acorncanada.org

Tuesday, Jan.22, 6PM, 1480 Heron Rd (Heron Road Community Centre) – Help plan the Healthy Homes Forum and action planning on local issues. There will be elections for Chapter Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer; members with dues in good standing are eligible to run and decide on their local leadership.

Join the Ontario Federation of Labour and over 90 community groups for a rally at 1:00 pm on Saturday, January 26 to bring our demands for democratic and economic rights directly to the Ontario Liberal Leadership Convention. The Ontario government has been shut down while workers’ rights are under threat and cuts to jobs and services are hurting every community. However, with an Ontario Liberal Leadership Race underway and a provincial election on the horizon, workers and community members are demanding new priorities for Ontario…

On December 8 2012 the Ontario Common Front hosted an annual General Assembly at the University of Toronto (OISE). Over 250 delegates participated from over 90 community and labour groups. Download the full report here.

On Dec. 4, 2012, the Cornwall and District Labour Council hosted a number of community groups and labour affiliates at a town hall meeting, at which Sid Ryan was our keynote speaker. We started with soup and sandwiches before formalities. Our program featured 4 panelists: Sid Ryan, president of the OFL, Diane Dewing, ETFO, Alyssa Blais, Executive Director of Agape Centre, Cornwall’s Foodbank, Thrift Store and Soup Kitchen and Elaine MacDonald, president of the Cornwall and District Labour Council followed by small discussion groups and…

OPSEU is having a campaign to save the Community Start Up and Maintenance Benefit and to keep the Ontario Disability Support Program as a Provincially delivered program for persons with disabilities. You can participate by going to your Local ODSP Office from Dec. 11 – 17th between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. ODSP staff will be outside the office and will give you a post card for your signature. Our plan it to present all the postcards to the MPPs during the…

Mark you calendar – Thurs. Nov. 22 Andrea Horwath and Catherine Fife Meet the women who sent Dalton into early retirement. MP Paul Dewar hosts a town hall where you can learn about the NDP’s priorities for Ontario and why it is time to put our MPPs back to work. DON’T MISS THIS! Date: 22nd November Time: 7-9 pm – doors open at 6:30 Cost: $25.00 / Cash bar Where: Tabaret Hall, University of Ottawa 550 Cumberland Ave Your admission qualifies as an Ontario political…

Ontario Common Front General Assembly Saturday, December 8, 2012 University of Toronto – Ontario institute for Studies in Education (OISE) 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Click here to visit the event page on Facebook. You are invited to the Ontario Common Front (OCF) General Assembly on Saturday, December 8, 2012 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto. We are facing an increasing crisis in Ontario…

Join us Friday November 2 for an evening recognizing labour in our community. MP David Christopherson, guest speaker. Posted by Peterborough and District Labour Council on Wednesday, October 3, 2012 Join the Peterborough and District Labour Council with keynote speaker, David Christopherson MP Hamilton Centre and help us recognize Labour in our community! WHEN: Friday November 2nd. Coctails 6-7pm, Dinner 7pm WHERE: 24 Whitlaw ( Lansdowne and River Road Tickets: $35.00 each order at 705-742-9286

WORLD PREMIERE OF SKY GILBERT’S NAKED HAMILTON AT THE ARTWORD ARTBAR Hamilton, Ontario (Saturday, September 22, 2012) For Immediate Release – NAKED HAMILTON is the seventh Sky Gilbert work presented by Hammertheatre to have its World Premiere in Hamilton, Ontario. Gilbert’s newest one-act play stars Elley-Ray Hennessy (HAMILTON BUS STOP) and Scott McCord (SCOTT MCCORD AND THE BONAFIDE TRUTH). The production will be presented at the Artword Artbar, located at 15 Colbourne Street, in Hamilton, Ontario, from November 15-25, 2012. THE PLAY: Hamilton’s changing. And…

SOLIDARITY PICKET: Ontario Liberal Party Annual General Meeting Date: Friday, September 28, 2012 Location: Ottawa Convention Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive Please park at the convention centre and meet us out front @ 6:00 pm Join with OSSTF, ETFO, CUPE, Allies and the Ottawa District Labour Council to send Dalton McGuinty a message at the Ontario Liberal Annual General Meeting. The McGuinty Government has legislated teachers and support staff contracts across Ontario with Bill 115. This heinous and draconian move has taken fundamental human rights…

The Ontario Common Front – an Ontario-wide coalition of more than 90 groups and organizations concerned with growing inequality – released an unprecedented new report today showing that Ontario has sunk to last place in Canada when measured against every important social indicator. The comprehensive report pulled together national research demonstrating that Ontario is at the bottom of the pack when it comes to equality and social programs and that a growing number of Ontarians are falling behind in the economy. The report found that: · 40% of…

The Ontario Common Front – an Ontario-wide coalition of more than 90 groups and organizations concerned with growing inequality – released an unprecedented new report today showing that Ontario has sunk to last place in Canada when measured against every important social indicator. Get the fact sheets here.

This report released by the Law Commission of Ontario includes recommendations designed to respond to the challenges faced by vulnerable workers in order to either reduce their vulnerability to, or the impacts of, precarious work. The Project focuses, in particular, on improvements to the statutory and policy framework of the Employment Standards Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act in protecting these workers. To read more, please click here.

The McGuinty Government has been using the report of the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services, known as the Drummond report, to short-circuit an open, public debate about the value of public services and what Ontario needs to do to improve and protect them. This paper exposes the government’s strategy and critically reviews the Drummond report’s key premise: namely, that Ontario cannot afford to maintain its current level of public services because the province faces a dire fiscal crisis.

Cuts to corporate taxes have resulted in a major loss of government revenues, without the anticipated result of higher corporate investment in machinery and equipment, new plants, and other areas of company operations. Instead, we have seen a big increase in dividend payouts and in financial assets. In this report, the Canadian Labour Congress seeks to show the reality of corporate tax cuts.

In this report, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has compiled the basic expenses of what would allow a family of four in Kingston to live on necessities only and a fairly tight budget. From this,they have devised what they consider to be a living wage in the city of Kingston. To read more about living expenses, a living wage, and the policy implications, click here.

The Home Repairs Benefit helps people on assistance pay for things like emergency plumbing repairs, patching a leaky roof, or repairing damage from fire or floods. The only alternative for people on OW or ODSP who own their own homes will be programs that provide loans for repairs – which people on OW and ODSP cannot afford to repay. The government stopped accepting new applications for the Home Repairs Benefit as of June 30, with the intention of spending all the remaining funds in this…

The Community Start-up and Maintenance Benefit is being cut. The Community Start-up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB) is important because: It is targeted to assist people on social assistance – people who rely on OW or ODSP are among the most vulnerable in Ontario. It provides people with the direct assistance they need to retain their housing and prevent homelessness – it can help them pay their rent or utility arrears, or help them move to safer or more secure housing. It is a mandatory benefit…

After countless hours of our members organizing and working on tenant campaigns over the past few years, ACORN members have determined the current minimum standard for residential properties and enforcement protocols are insufficient. To read their recommendations, please click here.

The cut to the community start up is going to affect a lot of people negatively. With already low rates of social assistance, if unforeseen events occur people are going to be out in the cold. It could really jeopardize them having shelter. If someone’s unit is destroyed because of natural events they won’t have this resource; if people become incapacitated and need adaptive furniture there will be no help; if there is an infestation and they need to replace their furniture and clothing because…

The Kingston Penitentiary and Regional Treatment Centre in Kingston are being shut down over the next two years as a result of cuts to the Corrections Canada budget, which will affect at least 60 employment positions

September 12th, 2012 7pm 1425 Phillip Murray Ave., Oshawa, ON Join workers, labour, experts and community allies for an evening meeting. We will discuss upcoming changes to Employment Insurance and the effects they will have on our community. Together we can strategize on how best to stop these changes.